


Just Seven Minutes

by annies_hoodie



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-19 11:53:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22310581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annies_hoodie/pseuds/annies_hoodie
Summary: After years of sharing angst-filled looks with Annie in the hallways of their school, Mikasa decides to confront her feelings once and for all at an end-of-the-year party.
Relationships: Mikasa Ackerman/Annie Leonhart
Comments: 45
Kudos: 317





	1. Chapter 1

Contrary to popular belief, Mikasa did not hate Annie. 

In fact, if the student body knew how much Mikasa thought about Annie, how she imagined what it’d be like to run a finger down the curve of her nose, lightly dragging her knuckles across her soft lips, or slipping her hand beneath the hem of her sweatshirt to graze warm, smooth skin, they’d be slightly terrified. 

Annie was always on Mikasa’s mind.

Naturally, other students assumed there was competition between the two. Their similarities were uncanny; both exceptionally athletic, considerably stoic, and brilliant academics. In fact, while Mikasa would be serving as the class salutatorian at graduation the next day, Annie’s GPA was just a tenth of a point behind Mikasa’s. Even their group of friends were similar. Mikasa had Eren and Armin, while Annie had Reiner and Bertholdt. Comparisons were inevitable, but despite their classmates’ hunger for a classic high school rivalry story, the pair were anything but enemies. 

That being said, they weren’t necessarily friends either. Instead, they existed in the space between, feeling a strange sort of current whenever they were around each other. When Annie walked into a room, Mikasa felt her more than anything, her cells standing at attention to pick up on Annie’s frequency. She’d meet her placid eyes, acutely aware of the buzzing thrum of her own pulse and the energy crackling just beneath her skin sparked by the other girl’s existence. Annie would always stop for the briefest of moments when their gazes met, and Mikasa suppressed a shiver at how familiar her presence was, as if they’d known each other in another lifetime. Sometimes she felt like extending her pointer finger, just to see if a shock of electricity really did connect them. The feeling was odd and exhilarating, and she kept it to herself for fear of reproach, or maybe because she lacked the words to describe it. She didn’t think anyone would understand, anyway. 

There were other thoughts about Annie that she withheld. Thoughts of approaching her in their basketball team’s locker room, of holding her against the rusted doors and laying a hand to her chest to see if Annie’s heart beat with the same reverberate rhythm of her own, bone-rattling booms of thunder before a downpour. Thoughts of mouths crashing together, a flurry of hands searching for the curve of hips and hot, sticky skin. Of humid air inhaled through parted lips, gentle handfuls of delicate, soft hair dampened by droplets of sweat at their temples. 

Mikasa found it peculiar to devote so much time thinking about someone she’d barely spoken to throughout their entire high school career. Their exchanges were always mundane and safe; things like running through plays during practice, or asking which chapter reviews were due for class the next day. 

Nothing like what Mikasa wanted to say. Questions like “what do you wear when you sleep?” or “where do you like to be touched?” never left her lips, instead absorbed back into her curious mind, fodder for dreams when she fell asleep at night. 

Mikasa wondered if Annie thought the same things, when she’d turn and see her stare, her eyes bright and intense despite her reserved expression. Mikasa longed to descend into her gaze, to crash through the thin ice and sink into the warm water below it. She always felt suspended, her breath tight in her chest and heart slowed to a quiet languidness as she studied the delicate fan of Annie’s eyelashes. 

And then they’d both look away, and Mikasa would surface with a soft exhale, left wondering what it was about Annie that made her fall so hard. 

Their classmates wanted Mikasa vs. Annie. They wanted boasting and snide comments, resentful looks and vows of revenge. 

But Mikasa knew better. All her and Annie had were pieces of a puzzle they had not even begun to put together.

If Mikasa had one regret about her high school life, it would be not getting to know Annie like she wanted to. 

* * *

“Mikasa, you coming to my party or what?”

Reiner leaned in front of her locker with a hopeful smile, Bertholdt shuffling up to his side. 

Mikasa had been bracing herself for this question. In fact, she’d been anticipating it all day. But despite her musings, she had yet to arrive at an answer. 

It was all her classmates had been talking about the past week. Everyone in their circle was going, even Armin. That had surprised Mikasa, considering he had a speech to give tomorrow. But it seemed Eren had been working on easing him into the idea for awhile, because he responded easily when Mikasa had questioned him about it. 

“It’s the last party we’ll ever have as seniors. The last time we’ll all be together before we head off to college or full-time jobs. I know I’ll regret it if I don’t go.”

Eren had nodded approvingly, arms crossed. “See? Armin knows when to throw the towel in and have some fun. You should too, MIkasa. You deserve it!”

Except melting into the walls of Reiner’s living room while raucous laughter and the saccharine scent of poorly mixed cocktails assaulted her senses was not Mikasa’s idea of fun. And what she _deserved_ was a warm bubble bath, maybe a few candles and some peaceful music to center herself before the graduation ceremony.

But there was a possibility that Annie might be going. Mikasa hadn’t heard any word from anyone about whether or not she’d be attending, but she had to admit that an appearance from Annie could be the deciding factor in whether or not she’d go to the party. 

Maybe she didn’t have to go to college with regrets of not knowing the other girl better. Maybe this could be their chance to test the connection they had before they’d never see each other again. The notion of never defining just exactly what was between them made Mikasa’s heart hollow, and she was sure the feeling would spread and cling to her bones, an ever-present ache to remind her of what could have been. 

She didn’t know if she could live with that. 

Mikasa tossed a few broken pencils into the trash bin behind her, almost done with cleaning out her locker. “I’m not sure yet. Who’s all going?

Reiner began listing off names, using his fingers to count them out along the way.

“Me, Bert, Eren, Armin, Connie, Marco, Sasha, Historia, Jean, Ymir. Basically the best group ever.”

The door closing with a metallic clang behind her, Mikasa crossed her arms, her back against her locker. “Is Annie going?”

Reiner considered the question for a moment before shooting a questioning look at Bertholdt. He shrugged, and Reiner narrowed his eyes in thought. “You know what? I actually have no idea. Let me ask her.”

Reiner’s booming voice permeated the long stretch of hallway, hurtling like a heat-seeking missile towards Annie’s locker all the way at the end. “HEY!! ANNIE!!!! You partying tonight?!?!?!”

Bertholdt winced at Reiner’s volume, holding his fingers to his temple. 

Mikasa peered over his shoulder trying to get a look at Annie among the sea of students. She couldn’t see much; just the bob of Annie’s blonde bun as she stood on her tiptoes to reach the highest shelf of her locker. It was impossible not to have heard Reiner’s call, but nonetheless Annie took her sweet time making him wait for an answer. She closed her locker with the speed of a snail, her hands lingering on the metal door for a few moments before she stretched, basking in the fluorescent hallway lighting like she was soaking up the sun on a tropical beach. 

After what seemed like an eternity (leaving the trio standing awkwardly in the hallway staring at her), Annie finally began walking, her footsteps heavy as bare feet trudging through wet sand. Her hands were stuffed in her hoodie pocket, and her eyes were trained on the ground, scanning for nothing in particular. Around her, students wordlessly parted to let her through, just as one might change course around a turtle trying to make its way to the other side of the road.

At the end of her long and harrowing journey, Annie quietly stopped at Reiner’s side as she breathed a heavy sigh. Her shoulders drooped as she let the air out, leading up to the taxing task of lifting her clear blue eyes to meet Reiner’s own. 

“Depends.”

Reiner raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued as he crossed his arms. He had very large biceps...Mikasa wondered how many Annies he could carry. Maybe three, maybe four. She wondered what it would be like to just hold one Annie, if Annie even liked to be held. 

“On what?”

Annie answered matter-of-factly. “You have to buy me donuts.”

Mikasa supposed it was a simple enough terms and conditions. 

Reiner broke into a smile at the easy request. “Deal. I’m picking up pizza anyway. The donut shop is on the way.” 

Annie nodded, satisfied. “Then I’ll be there.”

Reiner clapped his hands together, turning to Mikasa. “So Annie’s in. Can we count our class Salutatorian in too?”

Annie turned her gaze to Mikasa, a simple gesture that was sure to look like nothing much to observers. But Mikasa felt the question behind it, the hunger for answers that they both starved for. The hairs at the back of her neck stood up, her body just as aware as her mind how near she was to what she wanted. If she could just keep looking, just a little longer, she’d know. She’d make her peace in irises the color of a cloudless sky, fall into the waters of the open sea straight to Annie’s soul.

But Annie broke the spell, her eyes traveling briefly to Mikasa’s slightly parted lips before she looked away, retreating into the safety of the unknown. 

Mikasa studied the slope of her forehead, the way the parted strands of light blonde hair yielded to the subtle glow of her snowy skin. “Yeah, I’ll go.” 

Had it ever really been a question?

“Sweet!” Reiner gave a thumbs up, wrapping an arm around Bertholdt’s shoulders. “It starts at 8 PM, so come whenever. We’re heading out to go buy chips and stuff...see you later!”

Mikasa lingered for a few moments after the trio left, watching Annie disappear behind a wave of students passing through, always one step out of reach.


	2. Chapter 2

She had no idea what the other girls would be wearing, but Mikasa set out to surprise them all. 

She was going to wear her  _ short  _ shorts. 

Sasha had coerced her into buying them one day when the pair were out shopping. They weren’t the type of item she usually went for; while she didn’t mind the dark-wash denim, the hemline was scandalously short, ending just below the curve of her backside. 

She’d initially turned her nose up at them, shrugging Sasha off in favor of an on-sale cable knit turtleneck sweater. 

“Oh for god’s sake Mikasa...you were born to wear these! You have legs for  _ days. _ ”

Mikasa ran her finger over the material of the sweater, deeming it a bit too scratchy for her liking. “When would I ever wear those?”

Sasha’s eyes lit up. “Any time! For a night on the town, a mixer, frat party, or even a date! They’d go crazy if you wore these.”

Those occasions didn’t sound the least bit tantalizing to Mikasa. Why spend the money on shorts she’d never wear when she could buy some comfy sweats instead?

But Sasha was bright with hope, bouncing on her heels as she held out the shorts to Mikasa. “Please, just try them on! You’ll see what I mean.”

Feeling inclined to humor her friend (after all, she’d patiently tagged along while Mikasa had spent an incredibly long time browsing measuring cups at the home goods store), Mikasa gave in, bringing the pair of shorts with her into the changing room. 

As she shimmied out of her jeans and pulled the shorts on, she took a moment to admire her form in the mirror. 

Sasha was right; she  _ did l _ ook good. 

The denim was perfectly snug on her toned thighs, tight enough to show off the shape of her backside but breathable enough to allow mobility, the cuffs comfortable rather than constricting. 

They hung a bit low on her hips, but Mikasa didn’t mind. While she was muscular, she was built with a natural thinness to her frame, the line from her hips to her waist smooth and amicable to any type of rise. 

Mikasa took a few steps to test their practicality, nodding approvingly when she saw that the denim moved with her instead of riding up too high. 

The dark-wash contrasted gorgeously against her skin, and Mikasa ran her hands over her thighs, really beginning to like the shorts. 

She wondered what Annie would think of them. The most skin she’d ever shown was in their basketball uniforms, but those shorts were functional and modest, breathable and loose-fitting. These were much different, leaving nothing to the imagination. 

Sasha’s loud voice rang out from outside the fitting room door, breaking Mikasa out of her thoughts.

“Show me!”

Mikasa’s cheeks reddened, her confidence faltering at the thought of people actually seeing her in the shorts. Wearing them in the comfort of solidarity was one thing...but in public? She was a little nervous. She was showing  _ a lot  _ of leg...if the shorts were just a few inches shorter they could be considered underwear. 

Mikasa unbuttoned them, sliding them down her legs before pulling her jeans back on. 

“No, I don’t think so…”

She could hear Sasha’s sigh and quiet mumble of protest as she gathered her belongings and exited the fitting room. 

Nevertheless, her friend waggled her eyebrows as she joined her side, nudging an elbow lightly into her ribs. 

“So...what did you think?”

Mikasa lifted a shoulder in response, humming her indifference despite her newfound affinity for short shorts. If she let Sasha know her true opinion, she’d be stuck in the mall forever while she bombarded Mikasa with similar pieces of clothing for her to try on.

“They were okay, I guess. How much are they?” 

Sasha smiled. “I’m glad you asked. They just so happen to be Buy-one-get-one half off.”

Mikasa faltered for a moment. She didn’t really want to have to buy a second pair just to get the deal.

“Well, I don’t want to buy another pair.”

Sasha brandished a pair of high-waisted shorts triumphantly, as if she’d been waiting for that exact response. “Good thing I was already planning on buying these babies for myself! And because I’m such an amazing friend, I’ll let you take the half-off part of the deal. Sound good?”

It was an offer Mikasa couldn’t pass up. 

That had been almost two summers ago, and as Mikasa buttoned up the shorts she breathed a small sigh of relief that they still fit her. She pulled on a simple black tank top and a worn-out burgundy plaid button-up, deciding to go casual on top to offset her daring bottom half. 

She glanced at her phone, and seeing that Eren and Armin were due to meet her at her front door at any minute, she quickly ran a hairbrush through her hair (her detailed treatment routine ensured it was impeccably soft and conditioned at all times, saving her time and money on styling) and gave her skin a light dusting of setting powder. Thankfully, she didn’t have to retouch her eye makeup, the light lines of eyeliner and layer of mascara were holding up remarkably well from earlier.

Surveying herself in the mirror, she faltered for a minute eyeing the expanse of skin that was showing. She’d forgotten how different she looked wearing anything but skinny jeans, and it took her a few moments to warm up to seeing the majority of her legs reflected back at her. Was it too much? 

“Mikasa!”

Eren’s loud voice rang up the staircase, deterring Mikasa from quickly changing into the comfort of her jeans. She heard him bound up the stairs while Armin’s softer footsteps followed, stopping promptly before her bedroom door. 

“Can we come in?”

Armin’s voice. She fumbled with the sleeve of her button-up before taking a deep breath. 

“Yeah, you guys can come in.”

The door swung open as an over-eager Eren stepped into the room. He  _ loved _ swinging doors open. Mikasa had made a point to remove any art or posters near the area the door would hit. She’d learned her lesson after it’d slammed right into a framed picture of her basketball team, causing a lightning bolt strike of a crack right between her and Annie.

She hadn’t appreciated the irony.

“Let’s go, I--Mikasa, what the hell.”

Mikasa’s heart stopped as she saw Eren’s expression fell from one of excitement to borderline horror.

“I cannot believe you were going to show up without taking the price tag off your shorts.”

Surprised, she followed the direction his finger was pointing. Sure enough, the yellow price tag was still attached. SInce she’d never worn them before, she’d completely forgotten to remove the offending item in question. 

“The last party of the year, and my best friend was going to embarrass herself like that? Thank god for me.”

Eren reached forward and removed the tag with a quick snap of his wrist. “Armin, we’ve dodged a real bullet.”

Armin had been standing a few feet away, watching Eren warily. “It really wouldn’t have been that big of a deal. She would have noticed it sooner or later. I didn’t even see it.”

Eren shrugged. “Maybe. But someone like Ymir could have noticed it first and roasted her for it.”

Mikasa didn’t think Ymir would have been interested in something as trivial as a price tag. When she wasn’t doting on her girlfriend, she was trading verbal blows with Reiner or digesting the latest gossip from Sasha. Even though Ymir tended to keep to herself, Mikasa noticed the way she hungrily lapped up whatever dirt Sasha had to offer on their fellow classmates. Maybe that was why her insults tended to hit so close to home - she knew what everyone’s secrets were. Needless to say, Ymir would have her hands full at the party with distractions much more interesting than Mikasa’s forgotten price tag.

Mikasa picked up her yearbook from her nightstand, making sure to grab a marker from her pen as the led the way out of her bedroom. “Thanks for catching it. We better get going.”

“Wait, you’re bringing your yearbook too?!” 

Eren was incredulous, looking at Armin for help. 

“Mikasa,  _ no one  _ brings their yearbook to parties.”

Mikasa knew bringing her yearbook to the party was lame, but she needed to have a contingency plan in case things got awkward. She was out of her element at parties, and she couldn’t depend on Eren or Armin to stay at her side. Her yearbook could act as an icebreaker; if she had nothing to say, she could simply ask someone to sign her yearbook. 

Armin shrugged it off. “I don’t see anything wrong with it. It’s a nice memento.”

As Mikasa locked the front door, she heard Eren sigh. 

“Well, I guess. As long as I get to sign it first.”

After trying the doorknob to double-check that it was locked, Mikasa happily turned around and offered her yearbook and marker to Eren. “I thought you’d never ask.”

The trio stood on her front doorstep for a few moments, the summer sky giving way to dusk. The air felt alive with promise, an indiscernible buzz that made Mikasa feel light on her toes. There was a feeling she couldn’t shake; the effervescent hum that she felt when she was around Annie was more pronounced, her nerve endings alive and in search of something. 

Something that Mikasa hoped she’d find tonight.

“Okay, I’m done!” 

Eren handed Mikasa’s yearbook back to her with a grin. “You should read it now.”

Mikasa and Armin shared a skeptical look as she cautiously flipped the pages, leafing through blank space before arriving at a poorly drawn image of what she assumed to be Eren, Armin and herself. 

When Mikasa didn’t say anything, instead fixating on the ridiculously long eyelashes Eren drew on her, Eren prompted a response.

“Isn’t it cool?”

Seeing how proud he was, Mikasa didn’t have the heart to tell him how bad it was. 

“It’s pretty awesome. But there are no words...how will I remember that this is from you?”

Eren rolled his eyes, starting to head towards the driveway.

“No one else will be unique enough to draw a picture. Just remember... ‘Special’ is synonymous with ‘Eren’!” 

Armin stifled a laugh, gesturing for Mikasa to follow him as he caught up to Eren. “I suppose that’s one way to put it.”

The walk to Reiner’s went by quickly, with Armin chatting about the graduation ceremony as Eren kept the lead by a few paces. Reiner lived on the house at the end of the corner on Mikasa’s street, so the friends had opted for a nice evening walk rather than taking anyone’s car. Mikasa could already see a bonfire going in the pit in his backyard, and someone was doing jumping jacks on the front lawn. As the trio neared closer, she saw that it was Connie. 

Though she had no idea why he was doing jumping jacks, she figured it might be a good thing. He had a ton of extra energy, and the more outlets he had to burn some of it off, the better. 

Eren jogged up to Connie to give him a high-five. “Hey Connie, what’s up?”

Mikasa and Armin observed, their amusement plain as Connie tried to respond without breaking his routine.

“Nothing...much! Just doing...jumping...jacks…”

His cheeks looked like bright red apples, breath coming in short bursts as he tried to explain his predicament. 

“Lost a bet...with Jean…”

Understanding dawned in Eren’s eyes as he nodded. “Oh...damn. Tough luck. See you when you’re done, I guess?”

Connie nodded as best he could, and Armin gave him a friendly wave as they walked past him, stopping behind Eren as he brashly swung the front door open. 

Mikasa fixed him with a glare, not wanting him to cause any damage to the house. “Eren, I told you to stop doing that.”

Eren brandished the bottle of UV Blue he’d been carrying with him in a crumpled brown bag as they stepped inside to the empty living room. “We have to make an entrance somehow!”

Armin shrugged his coat off, laying it over the small mountain of jackets that had already accumulated on the couch. “That’s why there is a doorbell.”

“Too late for that now. Hm, everyone must be in the kitchen.”

Sure enough, Mikasa heard the sounds of laughter and the clinking of glass coming in through the dining area just a few paces away. It sounded like most everyone was there already. She hated to be the last person to a gathering. It drew too much attention, and especially now that she was departing from her usual choice in pants, she was sure to cause a stir as they made their presence known.

Taking a deep breath, yearbook in hand, Mikasa stepped into the kitchen after Armin. As if a show was starting, the noise in the room quickly faded off as all eyes turned to her. 

Sometimes Mikasa hated being right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 will be posted Sunday PM, 4 on Monday PM, and 5 on Tuesday PM :)


	3. Chapter 3

Reiner and Bertholdt were leaning against the kitchen bar, each holding a Guinness. A light dusting of rose colored Bertholdt’s cheeks, and Reiner’s eyebrows shot up as his eyes lingered on her legs.

“Wow. Looking good, Mikasa.”

Mikasa felt her face heating up, but she wasn’t allowed the time to be embarrassed. Sasha crashed into her from behind, wrapping her in a boa constrictor-like back hug.

“MIKASA!!!! YOU FINALLY WORE THEM!!!”

“Yeah…” Mikasa managed weakly through her hold, finally wriggling free as Sasha danced around her.

“I’m so happy!!!! You look so good!!!!”

She twirled into a nearby folding table, sending a plastic bowl full of party mix crashing to the ground. 

“You guys..she’s been saving these for TWO YEARS!!! Two years!!! Can you believe that?”

Sasha poured herself a shot from a nearby bottle of liquor and threw it back, her eyes watering as she pumped her fist in the air. “WHOO!!”

From behind the counter where she was mixing a drink, Ymir let out a loud sigh and and put the glass down, making her way over to Sasha. She pried the liquor bottle out of her fingers and replaced it with a bottle of water. “I’m cutting you off, you drunken bastard.”

“YOU CAN’T STOP ME!!” Sasha yelled, beginning to twirl again.

Ymir watched calmly as Sasha took a few shaky turns before smacking straight into the hallway wall. She slumped down into a sitting position, her legs stretched out in front of her as she took a deep breath. “Y’know, actually, I think I’m just gonna sit here a little while.”

Ymir nodded boredly, moving back behind the counter. “That’s what I thought.”

She cleared her throat, clinking the side of a glass with a spoon to get everyone’s attention. They had dissolved back into chatter, and Mikasa heard Eren bragging loudly about some high score on a video game. 

“HEY, ASSHOLES.”

Mikasa noticed the guys still trying to steal glances at her, their eyes flickering to her lower half like moths flocking towards a light. 

Ymir’s clinking grew louder and more frantic as she struggled to get their attention. 

“I SAID HEY, ASS-”

The glass abruptly shattered, finally silencing the room and sending all attention to Ymir as she winced, finishing her sentence. 

“...holes.”

“Holes?” Eren asked, confused.

“ASSHOLES. I was trying to call you all assholes. And then this glass broke,” Ymir waved at the destruction, the glass shattered right down to the stem.

“That glass was a family heirloom,” Reiner pointed out.

Ymir scratched the back of her head in annoyance, shrugging. “Yeah, well, you guys should’ve listened to me the first time.”

The room fell into silent judgement as Ymir rubbed her arm anxiously, looking for words. “Okay, listen. I’ll have Historia reimburse you, okay?”

Right at that time, the patio doors slid open and Historia strolled in, lazily taking a sip of her beer. Mikasa was astonished to see that her shorts were even shorter than hers. She didn’t even know they _sold_ them that short.

“Ymir?” Historia questioned as she caught sight of her girlfriend’s apologetic expression. “What’d you do?”

Ymir pointed to the shards of glass. “I broke Reiner’s family heirloom glass and I need you to pay for it.”

Historia shrugged, walking over to survey the damage. “Okay. I’ll have my dad write you a check tonight, Reiner.”

“You know, you could just take me out for dinner instead,” Reiner suggested hopefully, but Historia shut him down swiftly, wrapping an arm around Ymir’s waist.

“Why would I do that? I have a girlfriend.”

Ymir broke out into a smug grin, smirking at Reiner. “I’m the girlfriend.”

She earned a unanimous sigh from the others in the room, and Jean shook his head as he spoke up. “What were you trying to tell us anyway before you destroyed someone else’s property?”

“That the hard liquor shouldn’t leave behind this counter under any circumstances. Because you heathens have no sense of self-restraint and end up like Sasha. I’m the fucking bartender, this isn’t a self-serve establishment.”

Jean scoffed. “I still don’t recall anyone making you the bartender.”

“You don’t even know how to mix a cosmo, and you wince when you drink a hard lemonade. The rest of you drink shit like Four Loco and UV Blue,” Ymir said, nodding at Eren. “I could never trust any of you to mix a proper drink.”

Jean raised a finger, preparing to launch into a defense of his non-existent bartending skills, when Reiner stood up, tossing his empty bottle into a paper grocery bag that was already too full of cans.

“Well, I don’t know about any of you but I’m tired of listening to Ymir jerk herself off so I’m gonna go pick up the pizzas. How ‘bout someone grabs the smores stuff and we go outside by the firepit?”

“YES!” Eren shouted. “I’m starving!”

“There’s party mix over there…” Ymir pointed out under her breath, nodding to the mess of pretzels and chips on the floor that Sasha had made.

Historia snorted a laugh as all the guys shuffled outside, leaving Mikasa to wander over to the bar. 

She took a seat and put her yearbook on the counter, causing Historia to gasp. “Oh my god! Can I sign?!”

“Sure,” Mikasa nodded, peering curiously at the red solo cup Ymir plopped in front of her.

“I know just what you like,” Ymir assured.

“Really?” Mikasa picked up the cup, not smelling any scent of alcohol as she brought it to her lips, taking a sip. 

It was just water, which, coincidentally, _was_ exactly what Mikasa liked.

“How’d you know?” Mikasa watched Historia finish off her beer before going to grab another one from the cooler.

Ymir had begun to answer but no words had managed to make it out as she seemed completely entranced by Historia, who was digging around through the ice to find the beer she liked. Her tight shorts left very little to the imagination, and when she finally straightened up and tossed her blonde hair out of her face, taking a sip out of the bottle wet with water droplets, Mikasa heard Ymir sigh in awe.

She couldn’t help but think of her and Annie in the same position...if Annie would sigh like Ymir if she saw Mikasa bent over the cooler in her shorts, brandishing a dripping cold bottle and holding it to her lips.

“Whew…” Ymir said as Historia joined them again, flipping open Mikasa’s yearbook.

“Like what you see?” she nudged Ymir teasingly. 

Ymir watched over her shoulder as she signed the book in light blue Sharpie. “Best view ever, if you ask me.” 

“Well, good, ‘cuz I wore these shorts just for you. Consider it my tip for the bartender.” Historia began to slide the book back to Mikasa, but Ymir snatched it before she could, plucking the marker out of Historia’s hand.

“Hold on, I feel like I have to sign this. I’ll probably never see you again so I feel I should relay some parting words.” Ymir shot a grin at Mikasa before scribbling a short note and handing the book back to her.

Mikasa had planned to look at all her signatures later, but she couldn’t help wanting to see what the pair had written for her. 

Towards the bottom right of the page, in bouncy, neat handwriting was Historia’s message:

_We didn’t talk much but I’ve always loved your hair. Hope you win all the ladies over at WMU ;)_

_-Historia Reiss, HBIC, 2018_

Mikasa thought about the 30,000 and counting students at Wall Maria University, wondering if there’d be any girls there prettier than Annie. She doubted it.

Scanning for Ymir’s message, Mikasa turned the page to find it written in the middle of a blank sheet. She squinted to read the tiny handwriting, and furrowed her brow when she realized what the message said:

_HAG_

_-Ymir_

“Hag?” she repeated, perplexed.

“Ymir!” Historia swatted her on the arm. “You couldn’t have been nice?”

“I am being nice! Have a great summer! Isn’t that what everyone writes in yearbooks?” Ymir said defensively.

Historia stared at her. “You didn’t put in the “S”.

Ymir shrugged a shoulder. “Isn’t it implied?”

Historia shook her head, turning to Mikasa. “I love her to death but sometimes she’s an idiot.”

Mikasa nodded, closing her yearbook. “That’s okay. I don’t mind.”

“Luckily, neither do I,” Historia smiled, winking at Mikasa. 

Despite her best efforts, Mikasa felt a blush creep up her cheeks at the gesture. While she wasn’t the most social girl in school (her crowd consisted of, well, just Ymir) Historia was well-liked by everyone, smart, and gorgeous. Mikasa had spoken to her only a handful of times their entire high school career; she remembered being partnered up on a few projects, and they’d been in a study group together a few times. But she’d never gone out of her way to get to know the blonde girl, intimidated sheerly by her looks and charismatic aura. It wasn’t that she was unapproachable...just that she had a majestic sort of air about her that made Mikasa feel unworthy.

The blush didn’t go unnoticed by Ymir, who was busy shaking up a cocktail as she smirked knowingly. “Don’t worry, I get it. She’s too powerful.”

Historia laughed, taking a seat next to Mikasa. “I’m really not. I mean, yes, I am _the_ hot bitch in charge at Stohess High. But I’m not, like, a bitch about it.”

“True, but you do have everyone under some type of spell. They think you’re perfect. But no one knows that you leave your dirty clothes thrown around the floor instead of putting them in the hamper. Or that your car is full of fast food wrappers and half-full coffee drinks stuffed in every place they’ll stand upright. Or that sometimes you are too lazy to brush your teeth at night so I have to physically force you into the bathroom to do it.” Ymir poured herself the drink she’d been shaking into a martini glass.

Historia was unbothered, her laugh light as she popped an olive into Ymir’s drink. “Well, Mikasa, has the veil been lifted now that Ymir’s exposed my true colors?”

Mikasa shrugged, tipping the last of her water into her mouth. “Well, I assumed you had some flaws. It’s not that much of a shock.”

Ymir sipped her martini, nodding at the taste. “That’s good. Unfortunately for me, I now see all of her flaws as adorably endearing personality quirks so I guess that tells you how far gone I am.”

Historia smiled brightly as she stole Ymir’s drink, taking a sip for herself. “You love me.”

Ymir rolled her eyes, trying but failing to pry Historia’s fingers from the martini. “Hey, don’t steal mine! If you want one I’ll make you one.”

Pausing from her struggle, Ymir noticed Mikasa’s empty cup. “That is, after I get this kind patron a refill, on the house.”

She turned to the kitchen sink and filled the cup, handing it back to Mikasa with a nod of camaraderie. “I take care of my people.”

Mikasa quirked an eyebrow. “Your people?” 

“Yeah. Lesbians.” Ymir returned to her martini that Historia had relinquished, sipping thoughtfully. “Speaking of which, where is Annie? She better show up since you wore those shorts for her.”

Mikasa’s heartbeat quickened, her palms growing slick at the insinuation. “I didn’t wear these for her.”

Ymir wasn’t buying it. “Come on. You don’t wear shorts like those unless you want someone to see you in them.” 

Historia came to Mikasa’s defense, shooting her girlfriend a reproving look. “Not true. You don’t have to have some ulterior motive for wearing a certain type of clothing.”

“Of course. But in this case, it’s definitely for Annie. Right, Mikasa?”

Ymir had put her on the hotseat, and despite the amount of water she was drinking her throat felt horribly dry. Both Ymir and Historia waited for her response expectantly, staring at her as they idly stirred their drinks.

On one hand,Ymir was right. They were for Annie. The only reason Mikasa was _at_ the party was for Annie. But on the other hand, was she ready to say that to someone else? She couldn’t help but feel pathetic for admitting that she was trying to impress a notoriously standoffish girl, one that she barely even knew. 

All of a sudden she felt very dumb, sitting in someone else’s house talking to girls she wasn’t friends with, all for another girl that most likely didn’t give a shit about her. What was she even doing here?

“You don’t have to answer, Mikasa,” Historia offered after a few moments, ignoring Ymir’s huff of disappointment. “It’s not our business.”

“It’s okay...I just feel kind of stupid. I mean, I don’t usually do…” she waved her hand around, gesturing at the liquor and a passed out Sasha. “...this.”

Mikasa sighed, glancing out the patio doors to see Connie twerking in front of a very flustered Jean, Eren’s laughter coming in waves as he paused to catch his breath. This really wasn’t her scene at all.

“I should be at home, practicing my speech but instead I’m here, waiting for Annie, and I don’t know why.”

She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought about all the ways this could go wrong. There was a chance that Annie wouldn’t show up. And even if she did make an appearance, what were they going to do? Confess their undying love for each other and share a passionate kiss? It was ridiculous. They’d probably do the same thing they always did; acknowledge each other with a nod, a stare, maybe a one-word greeting. Then they’d be on their way, melding back into their respective groups and trying to act like the air around them didn’t change whenever they were near each other. 

Then Mikasa would go home, and she’d have wasted her time, feeling foolish for thinking that things would have gone differently.

“I know why. Because she’s hot, and you guys would be hot together,” Ymir said matter-of-factly. 

Mikasa shook her head. “It’s not that simple, though.”

“True...there has to be a little angst, a little pining involved. But going off the deeply introspective look on your face right now I’d say you’ve got that part covered too,” Historia chimed in.

Mikasa closed her eyes with a sigh, brushing her bangs from her forehead. “You’re right about that.”

Angst was _all_ she had. Where other people ate frosted flakes for breakfast, Mikasa inhaled a bowl of pent-up frustration and longing for an entirely inaccessible girl, complete with a side of intense self-hatred for her failure to do _anything_ about those feelings. Angst was bitter on her tongue, but it was the only taste she knew. She had no idea how to get it out of her mouth.

“Maybe I should just throw caution to the window and confess my love to her.” Mikasa said. 

Historia contemplated for a moment before shaking her head.“I mean, it’s romantic but I don’t think that’s the right approach with her.”

That was the problem. What was the right approach with Annie? Mikasa thought it was a question no one had the answer to.

The group was silent for a few moments in concentration until Ymir spoke up.

“I’ve got it. Make her _want_ you.”

Mikasa blinked. “That’s why I wore the shorts.”

Ymir shook her head. “But that’s not enough. You’ve got the visual but you have to incorporate _movement_.”

“...what do you mean?” Mikasa was at a loss, waiting for Ymir to go on.

Ymir clapped her hands together. “Okay. Picture, let’s say, a rotisserie chicken just sitting on a pan.”

Mikasa and Historia raised their eyebrows curiously as Ymir continued.

“Probably looks good enough, right? But seeing it slowly turning while it’s roasting on the spit, showing off all it has to offer as it rotates, now _that’s_ something. That’s what makes my mouth water. That’s what makes me _want_ it.” 

Ymir grinned at the pair as if she’d just explained a Nobel-prize winning idea, but Mikasa wasn’t so sure. She didn’t think a rotisserie chicken was the greatest of examples.

Historia narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Why do I feel like you’re going to leave me one day for a rotisserie chicken?”

Ymir held out her hands. “Seriously? It’s an analogy, and a good one at that.”

Historia wrinkled her nose. “You could have just told Mikasa to seduce her.”

“That’s what I did.”

“No, you were having an orgasm over a chicken.”

Ymir stared at Historia in silent annoyance, waiting a few moments before speaking again. “You know what, fine. Let’s start over.”

She strolled over to the other side of the bar, looking at Mikasa.

“Annie’s not the type to make the first move, but if you seduce her, maybe she’ll do something.”

_Maybe_ she’ll do something. It wasn’t that promising of a prospect, but Mikasa had a feeling that it was as good as things were going to get when it came to the enigmatic blonde. She decided to bite, indulging Ymir.

“How?”

Tapping her chin in thought, Ymir surveyed Mikasa, taking in her appearance. “Show some more skin. Shrug off one shoulder of your shirt. Stand like this.”

Ymir put one hand on the bar and put the other on her hip, wagging her eyebrows in a way that was more comical than anything. “Hey baby.”

Historia bit her lip to keep from laughing. “Don’t say ‘hey baby’. In fact, don’t do _any_ of that.”

Mikasa hadn’t been planning on it. She didn’t think it’d go over with Annie too well.

Ymir huffed, straightening up. “Well, whatever. Just act natural. But make sure the shoulder is showing.”

She reached over to Mikasa and tugged her sleeve down.

Mikasa peered down at her own shoulder, not seeing how it could possibly be alluring. It was just a shoulder. But Ymir was insistent.

“She’s already going to be imagining her hands over your thighs with those shorts on, but if you show shoulder, _that’s_ where her lips will want to be.”

Mikasa contemplated her words for a moment. Everything Ymir was saying was under the assumption that Annie found her attractive. If she wasn’t interested, Mikasa would end up looking like a desperate fool trying to flaunt herself in front of Annie.

She sighed, looking at Ymir and Historia. “Are you sure this will work?”

Ymir shrugged. “Of course not. It could be a dumpster fire for all I know. But it’s worth a try.”

Historia nodded. “Agreed. It’s worth saying though, that seduction works, 9 times out of 10. Especially when it’s you. I think it would be hard to resist you.”

Feeling her cheeks heat up again, Mikasa averted her eyes shyly as Ymir laughed. “She’s turning as bright as a tomato.”

“Well, she needs to know she’s worth it. And that Annie is a tasteless hack if she rejects her.” Historia got up from her seat, stretching. “Also, I think we should go outside. I want s’mores.”

Ymir tipped back the last of her drink and set the glass down on the counter. “S’mores it is. Are you coming, Mikasa?”

Outside, Eren and Connie waved around a skewer engulfed in flames, glops of burnt marshmallow falling into a sticky mess on the grass. 

“No thanks. I’ve got to do some thinking.” Mikasa gave the pair a half smile as they headed towards the patio doors. 

“Okay...just don’t overthink,” Historia cautioned before making her way outside, Ymir in tow.

Mikasa watched as they sat next to each other on the rickety lawn chairs. Ymir began to break apart graham crackers as Historia pushed two marshmallows onto a skewer, pausing only to shove a marshmallow into Ymir’s mouth. The two shared a laugh as Ymir grabbed a handful of marshmallows and threw them at Historia, prompting Jean to stand up and shout something. Though Mikasa couldn’t hear, she was sure it was something about being wasteful.

But it seemed his interjection was in vain; Ymir had caused a marshmallow mutiny. Connie quickly grabbed the bag from her hands and began launching the tiny white pillows of war at Bertholdt, who sat in bemused silence as they bounced off his chest. 

Eren jumped up from his chair and, after a short struggle, succeeded in yanking the bag from Connie. He triumphantly held the bag high over his head, opening his mouth wide as he emptied the remaining marshmallows into his mouth. He was stopped only by the arrival of Reiner, who appeared with an armful of pizza boxes. 

It all seemed very chaotic and exhausting. 

Not that it was much different from the tornado whirling around in her mind.

Mikasa’s eyes drifted away from the scene outside and settled on her empty cup. She let out a sigh, trying to ease her nerves as she thought about her plan of action when she saw Annie. Though she had apprehensions, she was leaning towards going with Ymir and Historia’s advice. After all, if their relationship was anything to go off of, it clearly worked for them. 

But they both had such different personality types from her own. How in the world was she going to overcome her introverted nature and capture Annie’s heart?

She held her head in her hands, closing her eyes.

It shouldn’t be that difficult. She’d stared at Annie plenty of times, and Annie had stared back on most of those occasions. She’d dreamed so many times of touching Annie, of holding her and kissing her and imagining grand confessions scenes that they could practically count as rehearsals. But unlike her daydreams, she couldn’t fast-forward to the part where they got married and had a gorgeous honeymoon on some secluded island. There had to be some plot development before she got her happy ending. 

_If_ there was a happy ending. 

That was the part that made her nervous. Because life was never as picturesque and simple as she hoped. Life didn’t have a formula or follow rules, and Mikasa hated dealing with anything that wasn’t in absolutes. But if she wanted to have any sort of chance with Annie, or at the very least, make her own feelings known so that she’d have no regrets, she needed to push aside her fears and take control of her situation. 

She stood up, emboldened by her new-found sense of purpose.

She’d play the game. Show some skin, flirt, be like the ultra-confident, independent and sexy women she always saw on perfume commercials. She’d channel Historia and be the HBIC: the ultimate Hot Bitch in Charge.

Feeling newly energized, Mikasa clapped her hands together and gave a vigorous nod. She could do this. She had this under control. She-

“What are you doing?”

Mikasa whirled around in shock, almost tripping over her own feet as she saw Annie, sitting at the table behind an open box of donuts.


	4. Chapter 4

Her stomach instantly dropped. She was sure she looked like a deer in headlights. When had Annie even entered the room? Mikasa took pride in always being completely aware of her surroundings. No one could ever sneak up on her because she could hear them when they were still a few feet away. 

Annie, apparently, was an exception.

Mikasa quickly stood up straighter, trying to appear unperturbed. Yes, Annie’s unexpected appearance had doused her surge of confidence a bit, but she couldn’t let herself be deterred this early in the game.

“How long have you been sitting there?”

Annie shrugged, taking a bite of a donut dusted with powdered sugar. “A while. Saw you stand up, clap and stuff.”

How embarrassing. Mikasa willed away the blush that threatened to creep up her neck as she nodded.

“Hm.”

Annie looked at her a moment, her gaze curious as she tossed her head back slightly to move her bangs. She took another bite of her donut before speaking again. 

Mikasa noticed a touch of powdered sugar near the bottom of her lip; she thought if she kissed Annie now, she’d probably taste like sugar and honey and everything sweet in the world.

“Will that be part of your speech tomorrow?”

One eyebrow was arched as Annie awaited Mikasa’s response.

“What do you mean?”

Annie motioned up and down with her free hand. “The rising from your chair, the single dramatic clap, you know. Great stuff. Very moving.”

Mikasa gave her a dull stare. “You’re funny.”

“So I’ve been told.” Annie studied Mikasa for a moment before choosing another donut, this time a strawberry one. She took a small bite from the corner and nodded to herself, admiring the frosting.

Mikasa frowned. How was she losing Annie’s attention to a  _ donut _ ? 

Oh.

Right.

Mikasa was supposed to be seducing Annie. She just hoped she could be more tantalizing than the admittedly enticing pink frosting.

Fighting off waves of nervousness, Mikasa scratched her head as she stood awkwardly, waiting for Annie to look at her again. Unfortunately for her, Annie was occupied weighing a jelly-filled donut in the palm of her hand. 

That just wouldn’t do. 

Clearing her throat loudly, Mikasa waited for Annie’s eyes to look up. But there was nothing; apparently, counting the amount of sprinkles on a vanilla-iced donut was a more pressing matter.

Mikasa fought from stomping her foot in frustration. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. How was she supposed to seduce Annie if Annie wouldn’t even give her the time of day?

She couldn’t be passive about this; not while they had valuable alone time. 

Most importantly, she refused to lose to a box of donuts.

“ANNIE!” Mikasa shouted.

Startled, Annie’s eyes finally snapped back to Mikasa’s. But the moment they shared eye contact, she panicked under the scrutiny of her intense gaze.

Mikasa abruptly yanked down the sleeve of her shirt, hearing some seams pop with the force she’d used.

Annie slowly looked from her shirt sleeve back to her eyes, her expression unreadable.

What an absolute disaster; she couldn’t even imagine how dumb and weird she looked to Annie. It was supposed to have been a fluid motion; she’d imagined herself leaning against the wall, tossing her hair back a bit as she shrugged the shoulder of her shirt off to reveal a touch of skin. Not unceremoniously yanking it down without any build-up or context whatsoever.

“...Are you okay?”

Mikasa tried to act like everything was fine, like Annie was the weird one for questioning such an obviously natural movement.

“Yeah...why?”

“You just yanked your shirt down your shoulder. Are you hot or something? Just take it off.”

Just take it off? 

Mikasa’s brain threatened to default into an endless loop of Annie saying ‘Just take it off’, so she immediately pulled the sleeve back up, refusing to let her imagination ruin her resolve. “I’m not hot.”

Annie shrugged, finishing the strawberry donut. “Okay.”

The conversation wasn’t really getting anywhere, but Mikasa had expected as much. They’d been going to school together for six years and hadn’t had a proper conversation; it would have been presumptuous to think that anything would change just because it was the end of the school year.

Now that seduction had epically failed, Mikasa decided to move on to her back-up plan: staring at Annie until she talked.

She took a seat at the table opposite of Annie and propped her chin on her fist, watching Annie thoughtfully chew a glazed donut.

She was just so pretty. How someone in a baggy sweater with their hair tied up could stuff their face with donuts and still look impossibly attractive was beyond Mikasa. She would buy Annie all the donuts in the world if it meant she could always see her like this; relaxed and effortlessly beautiful, in her own little world as she enjoyed a simple treat.

“So what are you doing here?” Annie didn’t look at Mikasa as she asked the question, instead observing whatever antics were going on outside.

Mikasa’s reply was simple, leaving it vague in hopes that Annie would try and pursue more details. “Hanging out.”

Annie tilted her head slightly in thought. “You don’t usually do that.”

Mikasa quirked an eyebrow. “How do you know?”

Annie leaned back in her chair a little and adjusted her hair tie. “Just an observation.”

So she observed Mikasa, which meant that hopefully, she was at least somewhat interested. Otherwise, why would she care about what Mikasa did?

Wishing she could press Annie further on the matter, or at least try and tease her about it, Mikasa held back in favor of the silent routine again. It had been working quite well thus far, and she didn’t want to fix what wasn’t broken.

Letting out a light breath through her nose, Mikasa focused on the fraying corner of the donut box as Annie fiddled with it. They were both masters at the silent game, but Mikasa was holding out hope that the sugar-induced euphoria would help spur Annie on to talk a little bit more. Her patience was rewarded a few minutes later when Annie sighed, having succeeded in destroying the corner of the box.

“What are you going to say at your speech tomorrow?”

Mikasa gave a thoughtful hum, thinking about how far she’d gotten on her speech. She’d accomplished opening her notebook, and...that was about it. She had planned on writing it tonight, thinking that she could channel her bittersweet emotions towards the end of their high school career onto the paper. But she had chosen to see Annie tonight instead. Her answer was honest.

“I don’t know.”

Annie let out a snort, the corner of her mouth turned up ever so slightly. “That’s great.”

Even just the ghost of a smile on Annie’s lips made Mikasa’s heart feel light, and she ached to lean across the table and touch her lips with her own. But she couldn’t get too far ahead of herself. This was real life, not a fantasy. She had to stay grounded. She settled for a nod, giving Annie a small smile back. “Yeah.”

She noticed Annie’s eyes drift for a fraction of a second to her lips, and a bit of color rose to her cheeks before she quickly looked away and went back to the donuts, pushing them around.

After fishing around a bit, Annie held up a cruller.

“Want a donut?”

Mikasa shook her head, worried that her already fragile stomach couldn’t handle any food. “No thanks.”

Surprise registered on Annie’s face for a quick moment before she settled back into her usual calm, collected mask. She put the cruller back in the box, closing the top. 

“Oh. Really? I love donuts.”

Mikasa fought back a laugh. She’d spent the last ten minutes or so observing Annie’s enthusiasm for donuts. 

Annie gave the box a tiny push towards Mikasa. “Well, if you change your mind, take whatever you want.”

Mikasa’s heart skipped a beat.

“Hey, Annie’s here!” 

Mikasa frowned without turning around as she heard the patio door slide open loudly. She couldn’t even enjoy Annie offering up her beloved donuts to her in peace.

Eren bounded over, smelling of the outdoors and firewood. He gave Annie a big grin, practically jumping with excitement.

Eren had always had a thing for Annie. He was in awe of the way she’d end up with amazing grades without putting in any effort, and was always eager to attend her basketball games to see her body check people on the court.

Unfortunately for him, Annie was not interested in the slightest.

“You didn’t even come to say hi!” Connie shouted as he buzzed past into the family room.

Annie’s tone was laced with contempt. “Why would I do that?”

“Because we love to see you!” Armin shot her a peace sign and a bright smile before following Connie.

Annie crossed her arms with a huff at the compliment.

“Hey Annie, can I have a donut?” Eren asked, his hand reaching for the box. 

But it was gone in an instant, whisked away into Annie’s arms.

“Absolutely not. No one gets a fucking donut. They’re mine.”

“Jesus, chill Annie.” Jean knew to keep his tone quiet as he snuck by, or else Annie would have probably sacrificed her donuts in favor of aiming the box at his head.

Lucky for him, Mikasa was sure Annie didn’t hear because Reiner had chosen that moment to slam the patio door shut.

“It’s fucking raining, and now we’re stuck inside. God dammit!”

Ymir frowned. “Jeez, what’s the big deal? Now we can play Seven Minutes in Heaven.”

“YES!!” Eren shouted triumphantly. “Annie, I’ll meet you in the family room!”

Annie shot Mikasa a look of absolute terror, and Mikasa had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing.

“Annie, he’s meeting you in the family room.” Ymir nudged Annie. “Go get ‘em.”

Annie sighed, threading her fingers together to crack her knuckles. “Ymir, I didn’t feel like beating you up today but if you’re in the mood…”

Ymir snorted. “You, beating me up? In your dreams. I’m almost two feet taller than you.”

“Wow, so intimidating,” Annie said boredly as Ymir stood on her tip-toes to tower over her.

“Ymir, stop posturing. We have to go figure out a plan to make sure we end up in Heaven together.” Historia grabbed Ymir’s arm to drag her towards the family room.

“Historia, don’t you know that every moment I spend with you is heaven?” Ymir gave her girlfriend a roguish grin. 

“Historia, I don’t know how you can date someone like her,” Reiner grumbled as he followed the pair.

“Well that’s easy. Because she’s perfect!” Historia answered cheerily, and Reiner groaned as they all disappeared behind the door.

Bertholdt, the last to walk in, nodded a greeting to Annie which she returned.

“I don’t know why he asks questions he doesn’t want to hear the answer to,” he said to no one in particular, sighing as he followed the others.

Annie and Mikasa were alone again, though the quiet they had enjoyed earlier was no more. 

Through the thin walls, they could hear Connie going on about how scandalous it would be if he and Eren had to kiss. Eren was screaming in response.

After a few beats, Annie broke the silence, her eyes filled with annoyance. “I’m not about to makeout with any of those losers.”

Mikasa shook her head. “Me neither.”

Sasha chose that moment to surface from her slumber (albeit briefly) and pointed at the two. “But what if you  _ had _ to pick someone?”

Mikasa gave her an incredulous stare. Out of all the times, why did she have to regain consciousness in that moment?

She promptly fell back asleep with a loud snore, leaving Annie and Mikasa to deal with the fallout of her words.

The air had become awkward as a blush climbed up their cheeks and the room felt unbearably warm. Annie made a small pull at the collar of her sweater, and Mikasa began tapping her foot, trying to make things less weird.

She didn’t know what to say. Was this the moment to tell Annie everything? No...it didn’t feel right. Then what should she say? Should she lie? Should she run away and never come back?

The latter option began to feel more appealing as the seconds crawled by like mercury slowly ascending up a thermometer. 

But the thing about rising heat was that it always reached a boiling point, and as Mikasa’s tapping increased in speed and Annie began to sweat even more, she knew she had to say something.

Apparently Annie had the same idea, because they both blurted out at the same time.

“Well, maybe Ymir-” Annie started.

“-Historia”, Mikasa finished.

Ymir?! Mikasa was taken aback. Hadn’t they just been fighting? 

Annie looked at her in disbelief, pointing an accusing finger.

“You like Historia?!”

Mikasa stood up from her chair, slamming her hands onto the table indignantly. “You like Ymir?!”

How could she not have seen this coming? Had Annie been showing signs and she’d just missed them, completely stuck in her stupefied state of obsession?

Annie wrinkled her nose as she shook her head. “No! No. I was just saying, theoretically. If we had to choose.” 

Mikasa’s features softened for just a moment as her posture relaxed, sinking back into her chair. “Oh. Well, me too. Obviously.”

So she  _ didn’t  _ like Ymir. That was a relief, soothing her nerves just a bit. But still...Mikasa wasn’t Annie’s first choice. In fact, she wasn’t a choice at all. 

Then again, Mikasa had said Historia and not Annie’s name, so she supposed she shouldn’t fault the other girl. She let herself entertain the prospect that they both wanted to choose each other but neither wanted to say it. At the very least, it was a possibility.

_ What about me? _

The question repeated in her head but wouldn’t come out of her mouth, sealed shut by the threat of her thundering heart.

Mikasa tried to focus, tried to cut through the what-ifs and the uncertainty to try and figure out a way to get the answers she craved. She didn’t have the courage to ask Annie what her true feelings were outright, but maybe she could ease her into it.

“None of the guys?” Mikasa spoke cautiously.

Annie’s lip curled in disgust. “Fuck no.”

There seemed to be a challenge in her blue eyes, encouraging Mikasa to fire another round at her.

“Sasha?” 

They both glanced at their sleeping friend, blissfully unaware of the high-stakes guessing game being played in front of her.

Annie gave a slight shake of her head, her gaze steady. “No.”

There was only one name left.

Mikasa felt her jaw clench as her eyes bore into Annie’s, knowing that there’d be no way to come back from what she said next. This was it.

_ Say it.  _

“Me?”

Her voice came out smaller than she’d wanted it to, and she worried that her desperation was clear in her tone. 

Mikasa’s heart stopped beating as Annie froze, her eyes widened in shock for a fraction of a second. 

She watched Annie’s throat as she swallowed thickly before traveling back up to her face; she seemed afraid to speak, her mouth open slightly as she stared unblinking at Mikasa. 

“I--” Annie tried to start, her voice quiet, but Connie chose that exact moment to burst into the room.

“Reiner says I need to find an empty bottle, and you guys need to get your ass in the other- hold on. What just happened here?”

He looked between the pair, picking up on the palpable tension that hung in the room.

“I...I asked to sign her yearbook,” Annie managed, trying to regain her composure by sliding Mikasa’s yearbook away from her.

Connie frowned, his eyes narrowing. “Okay...so why does Mikasa look like she’s seen a ghost or something?”

Mikasa still wasn’t able to speak, in a daze as Annie rummaged in her pocket for a pen and began to scribble something in her yearbook.

At Mikasa’s lack of response, Connie raised an eyebrow. “Weird. But I can’t say that I care too much. Also, Reiner says I can’t come back into the room unless I have you two with me. So I’ll wait until Annie’s done signing.”

After picking up an empty glass bottle off the floor, Connie plopped down next to Sasha, giving her a pat on the head.

Annie absorbed herself into the yearbook, while Mikasa busied herself staring at the lines in the wood of the table.

Now they really couldn’t get out of the dumb game. Meaning that whatever they had been so close to starting in this room would have to be finished later. Hopefully. 

Because if it was one thing they didn’t have, it was time.


	5. Chapter 5

Mikasa was startled out of her thoughts as Annie clapped the yearbook closed, capping her pen as she shoved the book back towards Mikasa.

“You’re finally done?! Awesome! Let’s get going!” Connie sprang to his feet and bounded towards the door, holding it open for the two.

Mikasa picked up the yearbook gingerly, wanting so badly to know what Annie had written but knowing better than to check now.

They shared a less-than-enthusiastic look with each other as they got up, stepping through the door. 

Everyone was gathered into a lopsided circle, with one empty space next to Eren for Mikasa and one for Annie next to Bertholdt.

They parted separate ways, sitting next to their waving friends as Connie dropped the bottle into the middle of the circle.

“Seven minutes in heaven, commence!”

“You’re lucky that there’s carpeting in here or that would have shattered,” Jean admonished while Connie gave Eren a high-five.

Reiner cleared his throat. “Let’s start with some rules for you nerds.”

“One. You spin the bottle. We’ll start with Eren and go in a clockwise direction. So after Eren would be Mikasa, then Armin, and so forth.”

Holding up two fingers, Reiner proceeded. “Two. Whoever the bottle points to when it stops spinning is the person you have to spend seven minutes in heaven, aka my linen closet, with. What’s seven minutes in heaven, you ask? Well, I’ll let my good friend Eren explain that part.”

Eren grinned. “Thanks, Reiner. I’ll take it from here.”

Armin held his palm to his forehead in embarrassment

“Seven minutes in heaven means kissing, making out, touching, all that good stuff.”

“Fucking?” Ymir asked, and Historia slapped her arm as she dissolved into giggles. 

Reiner interjected immediately. “No. I don’t want anyone’s bare ass on my carpet.” 

Eren brightened up as he proposed an idea. “We could put a towel down!”

“Are you a sex-crazed heathen? That is disgusting!” Jean could barely contain himself, his face beet red.

“This whole game is disgusting.” 

Everyone turned to look at Annie, who sat with her arms crossed. 

“Why don’t you just wait until it’s your turn in the linen closet and then you can talk.” Connie smiled sweetly, and the look Annie gave him was so murderous that Mikasa genuinely feared for his life.

“Speaking of that, if you don’t want to play, you certainly don’t have to,” Bertholdt assured Annie.

“But you might want to. Especially if it lands on me.” Ymir wiggled her eyebrows, earning herself a middle finger from Annie.

Armin spoke up. “Can we just get started? I’d like for this to be over sooner rather than later.”

“Agreed. But…” Eren started, and Mikasa watched in horror as he pushed the bottle closer to her.

“You go first. I’m scared.”

Mikasa looked up at him with utter fear in her eyes. What was she going to do if it didn’t land on Annie? Even worse, what was she going to do if it _did_ land on Annie?

He picked up the bottle and placed it into her open palm.

“You’re up!”

She cursed Eren’s obliviousness at times like this as she took a breath, careful not to meet anyone’s eyes as she focused on the bottle. 

Mikasa carefully placed it on the ground, contemplating if she should instead smash it into pieces rather than spinning it. 

But as she heard everyone begin to squirm with anxiety, she realized it was now or never. 

Flicking the nose of the bottle with her finger, she sent the inanimate object that would determine her destiny into motion.

No one seemed to breath as the bottle began to slow, making long, sweeping circles around the room.

She began to grow nervous as it teetered dangerously towards Jean, her stomach sinking as she realized the bottle was going to eventually stop right in front of him. How could she be so unlucky?

Her life was about to be over.

But as the bottle stopped, Ymir reached over Bertholdt and yanked Annie over by her collar, throwing her in front of Jean.

“What the fuck?!” Annie yelled angrily, rolling off of a very stunned Jean to grab a fistfull of Ymir’s shirt.

“Get in the closet, Leonhart!” Ymir pushed back, laughing.

“That’s cheating!” Jean yelled furiously. 

Ymir smirked. “It’s not. It’s fate. Sorry!”

“Bullshit. You launched her in front of me.”

“I was compelled by the Holy Spirit.” Ymir explained. “I was possessed.”

Jean refused to let up. “But I--”

Annie got up and stalked over to Mikasa, grabbing her arm. “Come on, let’s just go.”

Everyone’s eyebrows shot up as Mikasa was dragged upstairs into the linen closet, hushed whispers behind them as Annie slammed the door shut.

“I’ll start the clock!” Historia yelled from downstairs, and Mikasa’s eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness.

Her heart was pounding as she stood still, feeling Annie brush past her.

“I’m sorry, I just couldn’t deal with them anymore. Better sitting in here than there.”

Annie pressed her back against the wall and slid down into a sitting position, sighing. 

Mikasa mirrored her position on the opposite wall, taking in the smell of the crisply folded linens atop the closet shelves. The air was warm, and Mikasa realized Annie could probably hear her too-fast breathing. She closed her eyes, willing her heart rate to slow down as she struggled to maintain composure.

Annie was so close. If she even just moved her foot a few inches, it would touch Annie’s. The thought made her pulse race, and she opened her eyes in search of distraction. She noticed that she’d become a little bit more accustomed to the darkness, and she could see Annie staring up at the ceiling. 

“So, I don’t know what we’re supposed to do in here.”

Mikasa stared at her. There was no way she could be serious. Annie was the smartest girl in school, besides herself.

“Are you serious?”

Annie was silent, scanning a stack of towels as she scratched her arm.

“Well, I know what we’re _supposed_ to do, but it’s us.”

With a frown, Mikasa unconsciously shifted closer to Annie so that the tips of their shoes were touching. To her surprise, Annie didn’t recoil.

“What does that mean?”

Of course, she had an idea what Annie was talking about. They had something, but neither of them knew what it was. And as long as they were in limbo, dancing around each other without moving forward, ‘us’ could never be defined. 

Mikasa knew her feelings for Annie; her half of the equation was plugged in, but she needed to know Annie’s if they ever wanted to get an answer.

“I don’t know.”

Annie paused, falling into silence as she briefly closed her eyes, seemingly gathering herself.

When she looked at Mikasa again, her eyes had an openness to them that Mikasa had never seen before, like the curtain had finally fallen and there were no more masks, or games, or cryptic words. 

Just Annie.

Mikasa felt herself fall deeper.

“It’s always a question. All we ask each other is questions. Or stupid, safe stuff.”

She ran a hand through her hair, frustrated. 

“And I know that there’s this, like, _feeling_ , when we’re around each other but I don’t know what it is. I don’t know.”

Taking a deep breath, Annie bravely held her gaze.

“I don’t know how to feel...about you.”

Silence permeated the small closet, and Mikasa suddenly became aware of the time. They had already wasted two precious minutes, and only five were remaining. Time was running out.

Mikasa could ask her another question. She could do exactly what they always did, exactly what Annie had just talked about. Make a dumb joke, or tell her they could just get up and leave.

But with Annie looking at her like the next words she said would define the rest of her life, Mikasa knew she couldn’t wait any longer.

“I think I kind of know how I feel about you. I think I...like you.”

Annie’s eyebrows creased slightly in disbelief, and it took her a few moments before she spoke again.

“Really?”

Mikasa nodded. 

“FOUR MINUTES!” 

Mikasa almost scowled as she heard Eren’s yell from outside, but the announcement made it clear to her that she had to act now.

Though she’d never imagined confessing to Annie in Reiner’s linen closet, she knew the place and time didn’t really matter. She just needed Annie to know.

“I know I don’t know you that well. But I think I’d like to. And I wish I would’ve tried sooner. I...”

She faltered a bit, looking at Annie to gauge her reaction. Her eyes were earnest as she nodded her head for Mikasa to go on.

“I’m just curious about that feeling between us. So, I don’t know. Are you...maybe curious about it too?”

Mikasa suddenly felt the beginnings of tears well up in her eyes. She’d held in those words for so long that it felt cathartic to let them be known, and she was so scared to see what Annie’s reaction would be.

Annie had so much power right now; she could crush her heart by laughing at her words, or calling them stupid. She could look at her in disgust and call her weird. She could say so many things and Mikasa had absolutely no idea what she’d decide on. She was completely at her mercy.

Slowly, Annie moved her back from the wall and came forward, kneeling in front of Mikasa. 

The thick sheet of ice that frosted over every time Mikasa tried to push past was melting away, giving way to a quiet, warm tide that lapped closer to Mikasa every second. 

“Yeah. I...honestly, I feel like I think about it too much.”

Mikasa had to clear her throat to make sure she wasn’t in one of her dreams. 

Suddenly she wasn’t the idiot who’d skipped speech-writing to try and woo a virtual stranger at a party. Instead, she was face-to-face with the girl she’d thought about so much for the longest time, finding out that she thought about her too. Excitement coursed through her body as her heart continued to pound away.

“You think about me?”

This time, Annie did not miss a beat.

“Yes.”

Mikasa swallowed thickly, hoping her voice wasn’t shaky. 

The air was charged with near-unbearable tension, and as Annie began to look everywhere but Mikasa, fidgeting, Mikasa gave her a gentle reminder that she hoped would make Annie take action.

“We have two minutes left.”

Annie met her stare and the electricity connecting them sparked, lighting up both of their eyes.

Before Mikasa could even take a breath, Annie’s hands were on her knees and she slowly pushed them apart, settling between her legs. 

Mikasa almost sighed at how good it felt, how perfectly Annie fit, and she let herself drown in Annie’s scent, letting herself be touched.

When she felt one of Annie’s warm hands hook around her thigh, she realized just how great of a decision it had been to wear short shorts, her palm soft and fingers gently gripping her skin. Her other hand held Mikasa’s cheek as she guided her towards her own lips.

Mikasa wanted to tell Annie how fast her heart was racing, but she was sure Annie could feel it, just as Mikasa could feel Annie’s own. 

Her eyes fluttered from Annie’s soft lips to her eyes, and she let herself get lost in the feel of Annie’s thumb making soft circles on her cheek. Her eyes closed as their lips met, and Mikasa tightened her thighs around Annie as she tasted her, submerged under the endless ocean that was Annie.

She found she could barely think as Annie deepened their kiss, and she didn’t know where to put her hands. There was so much of Annie she wanted to touch. After drifting for a few moments, letting her fingers travel over the curves beneath her sweatshirt, she settled for her waist, and then her hair, letting her hands respond to the waves of ecstasy Annie was pushing her under. 

Annie broke from the kiss and bumped the tips of their noses together lightly. Mikasa opened her eyes, and saw that Annie was giving her a small grin. She smiled back at her, feeling butterflies as Annie placed a small kiss on her cheek before moving down to her shoulder.

She pushed the fabric of her shirt back and dragged her lips over her skin, finally finding a place to mark. As her lips began moving, Mikasa couldn’t help but think about Ymir’s words.

She had been so right. The short shorts, the dumbass chicken, the shoulder, everything. Ymir was a genius. Ymir knew everything, Y-

“Ymir!” Mikasa breathed out as Annie pressed herself closer to Mikasa’s body.

Annie abruptly broke away from her shoulder, startled.

“Ymir?!”

Mikasa barely registered what she’d said; her mind was completely losing it. She was living her dream right now. Better, even. Annie was completely in sync with everything she needed. Every kiss felt urgent. Every touch felt like an embodiment of their wordless stares in their crowded school hallways, long and electrifying and intense. Every missed connection had culminated in this moment. Mikasa took a second to take in the sight of a flushed Annie, her blue eyes surprised and hair undone. She wondered if beautiful people ever knew they were so damn beautiful.

Eager for Annie to continue, she brushed Annie’s bangs back and leaned up to kiss her forehead.

“No, no, not Ymir. No. I’ll explain later...just…”

She moved her hips forward as she dragged her lips down, gently biting Annie’s bottom lip. She felt her warm breath sigh against her, and Annie’s fingertips began to find their way under her shirt. Mikasa didn’t want her to ever stop. She wanted to live in Reiner’s linen closet forever, sustained by Annie’s kisses and touches and -

“HISTORIA!!”

Annie and Mikasa were blinded by light as Ymir stood in the now-open doorway, mouth agape at the sight of Annie’s body pressed between Mikasa’s thighs, one hand under her shirt and the other in her hair.

Mikasa looked up, not bothering to hide her labored breathing as Historia quickly appeared beside Ymir.

“Wow…so you guys really made out, huh?”

Ymir and Historia looked impressed as Annie reluctantly sat back, pulling strands of wayward hair back into her bun.

Ymir tapped her foot.

“Y’know, as much as I love a hot, happy ending like this, your time is up. It’s Ymir and Historia time.”

Mikasa narrowed her eyes, remembering what Ymir had done earlier to get her and Annie in the closet together.

“How did that coincidentally happen?”

Historia smiled broadly, patting Ymir’s back.

“Ymir tied fishing line to the bottle and made it land on me.”

Annie was still sitting on the floor as Mikasa stood, and she held her hand out to her, helping her up. At the brief touch, she realized she already missed having Annie so close.

Ymir motioned for them to step outside. 

“It was Historia’s idea, anyway.”

Annie glared daggers at her as they passed.

“I’m sure that works much better than grabbing people by their shirt and launching them.”

Ymir shrugged.

“I guess that depends on your perspective of things.”

With a wink, Ymir closed the door, leaving Annie and Mikasa in the hallway.

They shuffled around awkwardly for a few moments, and Mikasa mumbled something about moving down from the closet a little bit so they didn’t have to hear Historia and Ymir. Annie followed.

“So…” Mikasa couldn’t find words. What was there left to say? Everything that they couldn’t put words to had been expressed by their bodies, lips and hands. 

Almost unconsciously, she reached out to straighten Annie’s collar, and brushed a wayward puff of lint from her shoulder.

Annie’s cheeks were red as she smoothed down the front of her sweatshirt.

“Thanks.”

Mikasa nodded, her hands falling back to her sides. Even if it was something small, she realized she liked taking care of Annie. 

A bottle cracked loudly in the family room, and they both shared a look as Connie burst into laughter. Annie rolled her eyes, her cheeks returning to normal color at the distraction.

“Dumbasses.”

Mikasa wondered where they went from there. Was it common for people to just make out in closets and then never see each other again? She worried that it was going to be their fate. 

All her happiness from earlier slowly drained out as she realized that their moment in the closet was probably their last. She tried to console herself by reasoning that she’d accomplished what she wanted to do: tell Annie how she felt, and explore the connection between them.

But now that she knew Annie had wanted the same thing, and that she’d experienced what it was like to be so close to Annie, she didn’t know how she was supposed to let her go.

“So...that was nice. If I’d have known it would be like that, I’d have talked things out with you way sooner.”

Mikasa looked up at Annie. She had expected her to walk away wordlessly, not comment on what had just happened between them. Allowing herself a small inkling of hope, she gave Annie a small smile.

“Yeah, it was so much better than my dreams.”

Annie laughed, and Mikasa’s heart lifted at the sound, so different from Annie’s usual smooth, unassuming tone.

“You shouldn’t tell me that you dreamed about making out with me.”

“Why? It’s the truth.”

Annie was still smiling shyly as she shook her head, and Mikasa wondered if it would be okay to kiss her again.

Stepping forward, she leaned down and pressed her lips against Annie’s, cradling her face as she guided Annie’s back against the wall.

Annie instantly responded, indulging in the kiss as her hands drifted to Mikasa’s legs, pulling her thighs closer.

“I love these shorts,” Annie breathed, breaking to give Mikasa a light kiss on her jawline.

Mikasa blushed as Annie’s gaze traveled lower, eyeing her legs as her thumbs hooked through the belt loops, bringing Mikasa closer.

Mikasa looped her arms around Annie’s waist, holding her. Annie felt so right in her arms, and she was reminded of all the times she’d thought about what holding her would be like. She’d been accustomed to the image, but no amount of dreaming could have prepared her for the light scent of her perfume and the soft, gentle curves of her body. 

“I wore them just for you.” 

Annie looked away in embarrassment, and Mikasa gave her a playful squeeze, smiling. 

She made a mental note to wear the shorts much more often this summer when she saw Annie. 

Or, she supposed, _if_ she saw Annie. She frowned as her stomach sank a bit, her hold on Annie loosening.

“Will I see you again?”

Annie’s eyes softened as she saw the unease written across Mikasa’s features, and she stood on her tip-toes in an effort to reach Mikasa’s lips. 

Mikasa wrapped her arms under Annie and hoisted her up, her hands holding Annie’s thighs firmly. She sighed into their kiss, angling her face a bit so she could taste more of Annie.

Annie placed her lips chastely on Mikasa’s before pulling back, still in her arms. 

“You will.”

Mikasa marveled at how two simple words had the power to encompass her in such relief. Though she had battled so much uncertainty leading up to this moment, there was now no room for interpretation. Mikasa had asked, and Annie had answered. They would see each other again.

“Annie, your dad’s here!”

Raising an eyebrow at Annie, Mikasa gently set her down after hearing Reiner’s call.

“Your dad?”

Annie closed her eyes in exasperation, holding a finger to her temple.

“Fuck, I totally forgot. I asked him to pick me up around now before I left.”

Mikasa was confused. Annie only lived a street over; she could easily walk home within minutes.

“Don’t you live just a few houses down?”

Annie nodded.

“Yeah, but I don’t feel like walking.”

“Annie Leonhart, so lazy,” Mikasa admonished teasingly, watching as Annie turned around and began to head towards one of the bedrooms.

“Where are you going?”

Annie looked over her shoulder at Mikasa. 

“Out the window.”

After being in such close proximity with her and talking more than they ever had, Mikasa had almost forgotten how cryptic Annie was. Apparently Annie thought her reply was sufficient as she continued to head towards a room, but Mikasa was not satisfied with such an outlandish response. Catching up to her in a few strides, she pulled on Annie’s sleeve.

“You’re going to have to elaborate.”

Shrugging as if it was a perfectly normal thing to do, Annie explained.

“Window’s easier. I don’t want to pass the nutcases downstairs.”

Mikasa quirked an eyebrow.

“A little bit dramatic, don’t you think?”

“I call it self-care.”

Mikasa gave her a skeptical look.

“This a two-story house.”

“I’m aware.”

“If you hurt yourself, I’ll kill you.”

“That’d be counter-productive.”

Annie sent her a maddening smirk as she lifted up the sill on the bedroom window.

Mikasa wanted to reach out to her and tell her to stay, that she wanted to spend more time with her. She wasn’t ready for Annie to leave yet, not when they’d only just overcame years of yearning.

Trying to figure out where such a sense of neediness was coming from, Mikasa realized she was scared that if Annie disappeared out the window sill, she’d never see her again. Even though Annie said she would, the part of Mikasa that refused to believe that Annie could like her back was telling her it wasn’t true.

With one leg out the window, Mikasa looked at Annie and saw that her eyes held no trace of malevolence, just a sparkling mischievousness. She felt herself slowly begin to feel at ease. 

“Text me.”

Mikasa’s heart lurched at Annie’s request, and as her mind went into hyperspeed already thinking of what she would text her, she became aware of one very important detail.

“But I don’t have your--”

“--number,” Mikasa finished mumbling to herself.

Annie had already slipped quietly out the window, and Mikasa curiously peered outside. She watched Annie expertly navigate the shingles and safely land on the grass. She shook her head in disbelief that she’d fallen for such an unpredictable girl. But, if she was being honest with herself, she loved every minute of it. 

Annie was still a mystery to her, but one that she’d now get a chance to understand. When they saw each other again, there wouldn’t be any more pining stares or short exchanges. The ice was broken, and they had plenty of open water to explore.

But before any of that could happen, she needed Annie’s number. 

“Mikasa!”

Hearing Eren call her name, Mikasa took a breath before heading back downstairs. She didn’t really feel like conversing with anyone after the emotional whirlwind she’d just navigated. She was beginning to think that Annie had the right idea by escaping out the window.

As she entered the living room, Eren waved her over and patted her yearbook, which he’d kept next to him as her placeholder.

“So how did it go? Did you guys beat each other up?”

The entire circle leaned in, eager for an entertaining tale.

Mikasa thought of Annie’s gentle eyes and her careful touches, her soft yet pressing kisses. 

“Yeah, she won.”

Eren smacked the floor.

“Aw, Mikasa, come on!”

Reiner snickered, bumping his shoulder with Bertholdt.

“That’s our Annie!”

Eren’s eyes flashed as he jumped to his feet.

“I bet Mikasa let her win.”

“Oh yeah?”

Reiner was at his feet next, and Mikasa took the moment to quietly leave for the kitchen, yearbook in hand.

Sasha was still snoring as Mikasa softly closed the door. She took a seat at the bar and flipped open her yearbook, searching for Annie’s signature. On the very last page, written right in the center, she found Annie’s phone number, with her name written in small letters next to it.

It occured to Mikasa that Annie had written it before their time in the linen closet, and her stomach did a somersault as she added Annie into her phone and sent her a text.

_Hey._

Annie texted back almost immediately.

_Hey. Come outside._

Putting her phone back in her pocket, Mikasa quietly passed Sasha on her way to the patio door, slipping out the doors. 

It was still raining a bit, and all Mikasa saw was the smoking, burned out fire and soaked marshmallow skewers littering the ground.

She walked through the wet grass towards the front of the house, folding her arms over her chest to stave off the chill from the rain. When she turned the corner, she was surprised to see Annie sitting on the curb at the end of the front yard.

“Annie?”

Mikasa picked up her pace and jogged towards the other girl. Annie seemed relaxed, seemingly unperturbed that her sweatshirt was soaked with rain. As Mikasa settled down next to her, Annie scooted over so that their shoulders were touching.

The gesture made Mikasa feel inexplicably light, and she took in the sight of Annie’s skin, dewy from the mist of rain. She fought the urge to reach out and run her fingertips over the smooth planes of her cheekbones. 

“You didn’t go home?”

Annie shook her head, absent-mindedly kicking a pebble into the street.

“No, I told my dad to just go without me.”

She watched as the pebble traveled a few feet before she turned to meet Mikasa’s eyes.

“I told him I wanted to wait for someone.”

Any remaining hints of doubt dissipated from Mikasa, evaporating into the warm summer air like the raindrops on the pavement. Annie’s words were simple, but Mikasa recognized the sincerity in her tone. She had a feeling Annie had chosen her words to convey something only Mikasa could understand; their shared experience of unrequited longing, repressed for so long under layers of ice, practiced masks and measured responses. Yet, despite the endless navigation through the foggy haze of their feelings, they both had held on, waiting for each other, hoping to find their way out and meet together at the end.

“I’m glad you did.”

“And I’m glad you found my number.”

Mikasa hummed in agreement before giving Annie a little nudge.

“I have to admit, with the way you were scribbling in my yearbook I was expecting a romantic declaration. But I’ll accept your phone number too.”

Annie gave a soft snort.

“You got my romantic declaration in Reiner’s linen closet.”

Mikasa smiled, remembering how Annie had looked at her so fondly and kissed her with such a subtle yet defined passion, every touch of their lips saying more than they could ever find words for.

As the rain continued to fall, and the sky descended into a deeper blue, Mikasa quietly brushed her hand against Annie’s, holding her palm open. She felt Annie’s fingers find her own and they sat together, hands clasped as they took in the silent, humid scene of a summer night.

Mikasa wondered why she had been so worried about the time; focusing on passing minutes and moments they’d never get back. As she held Annie’s hand, she could only think of the future they’d have together, as endless as the starry night above them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ymir's ego would probably explode if she knew Mikasa accidentally said her name while making out with annie sdljfalskdfja
> 
> thank you to everyone who has commented on this story...it means the absolute world to me and is the greatest inspiration in the world!!! I hope you enjoyed the ending :)


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